NASA lands on Mars0:46

NASA's InSight spacecraft has touched down on the red planet and is relaying images back down to Earth.

November 26th 2018

3 months ago

/display/newscorpaustralia.com/Web/NewsNetwork/Network News/World/

NASA has announced the US is heading to the Moon ‘sooner than you think’ thanks to exploration partnerships with private firms. Picture: Dani Caxete/The International Space StationSource:Supplied

Private companies could be landing on the Moon as soon as next year, after NASA announced $3.6 billion worth of contracts to get humans there as soon as possible.

Nine firms will compete for the contracts to deliver science and technology experiments to the lunar surface, with NASA allowing the companies to work out the details of getting there.

The tests will help speed up progress towards long-term scientific study and human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Before humans can regularly travel to space, the agency needs to better understand navigation, landing and survival requirements.

Private companies could be landing spacecraft on the Moon as soon as next year, after NASA announced $3.6 billion worth of contracts. Picture: AFP/NOAA/NASASource:AFP

The news comes just three days after NASA’s InSight spacecraft landed on Mars, just the eighth time a ship[ has completed the nearly seven-month, 480-million-kilometre journey from Earth.

NASA wants to trial the system at the Moon before committing to commercial delivery services at Mars.

NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine made the announcement at the agency’s headquarters in Washington in time for 2019, which marks the 50th anniversary of the first manned moon landing.

We're returning to the Moon, to stay, and nine American companies will work on developing technologies to get there. They'll bid on contracts to deliver our science and technology payloads, paving the way to send humans back to the Moon and on to Mars: https://t.co/Ul0LYLRcqmpic.twitter.com/dfHRylaaGq